Blues edged the first half but when Leeds brought on the likes of Calvert-Lewis there was a thought that the tide would turn although that never really materialized. They did admittedly open the scoring, then Blues deservedly got an equaliser but couldn’t quite get the ball literally over the line for a winner.

The Blues goal was scored by the excellent Patrick Roberts and undoubtedly our expensive signing Carlos Vincenza will have to upgrade his game to its max to remain first choice. On the other wing, when he came on for the excellent Demarai Gray, Ibrahim Osman was his usual mercurial self.

However, yet again, the Ghanaian’s final ball often lacked finesse and his shooting was generally in the ‘barn door’ category except for one which hit the inside of the post. Having said that, having to choose from and keep happy Gray, Osman, Roberts and Vincente is on the one hand a football luxury and on the other a managerial conundrum.

A word for the defence, too, with Ryan Allsop immaculate in his distribution, Christoph Klarer dominant even when Calvert-Lewis came on, Kai Wagner continuing to look like the transfer bargain of the season and Osayi Samuel showing why he is one of the first names on the sheet for the Nigerian national team. The new signing Jonathan Panzo also put in an impressive debut and looked a good foil for Klarer.

Tommy Doyle never stopped running in midfield and Jhon Solis was, as usual, a giant in the middle and although to lose on penalties was heartbreaking, Blues can hopefully draw lots of confidence as they chase a play-off spot.